Looking for a good, kid-friendly, guard dog - Page 2

Email me. I can point you to several excellent, fairly priced breeders in the MI/IN/WI/IL area. I know a few dogs who need homes as well and I'd be happy to help. vonisengard@comcast.net

www.petfinder.com

lots of wonderful pets looking for homes........

Haveli, I know of a few dogs that fit your request. If you contact me I can give you further details.

Natasha

I wouldn't trust petfinder but I would take up the offer to contact the people who have offered to help in this thread.

Great post Scarlet.

I know of a 6yr old former prison dog who may fit the bill, and I also have a 2yr old who would work nicely. Budget-wise, they are different, but there may be other options since you are somewhat local. Ditto to what vonIsengard said; they're out there and a few of us know a few right off the tops of our heads. Email me at Jen@vomeisenherz.com and I will give you my phone number and we can go from there. I'd love to see the 6yr old, especially, get a good home where she'd be appreciated. 

Thank you to everyone who responded. I will try and answer as many questions as I can.

1. Moving is not much of an option right now. I was lucky to find THIS place, with the housing market as crappy as it is and it was only after I moved over here that I learned about the neighbors.

2. I can spend about $200 absolute max on a dog, but I have what looks like 2 plots of land surrounded by fence. My daughter is 3 and is unnaturally hyper so that mixed with the size of the yard, will provide lots of running and high levels of fun activity.

3. My daughter has PDD with is on the Autism Spectrum, but a milder form. While she is not antisocial and angry, she is extremely friendly with people,especially men, and will wander off with anyone. She has no sense of self preservation of fear or danger, and to top it all of, she cannot speak well. She does have excellent doctors at Henry Ford Hospital who have been working with her since birth.

4. I have looked into the local shelters and they rarely have shepherds if they even get them in. I do not know of any GSD shelters near me, and am unable to travel very far due to the fact that I will have to pay someone to take me on account of not having a car.

5. I am looking for a calm, collected dog that can also be protective or defensive when the time calls for it. Being a bit intimidating at first glance is a major plus, and stable and loyal is a must. I also want the dog to be able to handle my daughter's attentions for a while, she loves animals and would spend all her time around them if she could.

6. As far as price, what exactly is fair when talking about a 'good dog'? I know where I can get low priced supplies, but the dog itself is going to cost me the most. I will contact those of you who offered to help, so here is my email : adleitner88@live.com

Scarlet Akai,

Excellent post, very well laid out with smart focus on guiding the OP.
Ibrahim

Haveli,

I wish you and your daughter the best and hope you find a child friendly dog that meets your needs.  As a teacher, I've taught some mildly autistic students and I can certainly understand your concerns over your daughter.  I'm sure you are doing your very best for her.  Maybe one of the dogs Jenni mentioned would work out.  Let us know how it goes!

Have you applied to the GSD rescue of Michigan?  I am pre-approved so I get notices whenever dogs are available and they've had some nice ones recently.  You probably don't need a dog with such a high level of training, just something that will bark and whose looks serve as a deterrent, which is most GSDs.  A real police dog might be more of a liability depending on your level of experience handling them.